Compoitnd oees



1. c. ADELL. METHOD OF SEPARATING THE OXIDS OF IRON AND OTHER METALS OCCURRING IN COMPOUND ORES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2.1916

Patented Oct 14, 1919.

LSESAQL WI" MIM W iili juenibr v ya W aw 4; flwgweafi F77 5- JAMES CLAUDE ADELL, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

METHOD OF SEPTING THE OXIDS OF IRON AND OTHER METAM OCCURRING IN I seem ORES.

Application filed December 2,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES CLAUDE ADELL,

a citizen of the United States, residing at- Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Methods of Separating the Oxids of Iron and other Metals Occurring in Compound Ores, of which the followlng is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. I

This invention relates to a method of separating iron containing compounds from other minerals such as manganese dioxid, occurring in compound ores, and the ob ect of the invention is the provision of a process whereby this separation can be effected in a simple, rapid, and inexpensive manner.

Iron ores bearing manganese dloxid up to as much as 20 per cent. ofthe latter are ordinarily worth only from $1.00 to $1.25 per ton more than iron ore having no manganese. At the same time the manganese dioxid or reasonably pure pyrolusite is worth on the market from $200.00 to $300.00 per ton, this remarkable condition being due to the expense incident to practising previously known methods of. separating the ingredients.

According to my improved method I first pulverize the ore thoroughly and subject it to the action of steam or water vapor while keeping it at an elevated temperature, say 600 to 800 C. Most iron ore consists largely of hematite having a formula of approximately Fe O .6H 0. Roasting this ore 1n the presence of steam changes it to- Fe o which as is well known, is magnetic. Besides this material emerges from the process in a dry, light, finely divided condition which is peculiarly adapted for the magnetic separation process. The manganese dioxid emerges from the process unchanged, although whether or not it has any action on the process I cannot say, although it is a peculiarly active catalytic agent in many relations. Also I do not assert any theory as to the reactions taking place but relate merely the observed results of the manipulations described.

The separation of the magnetic oxid from the non-magnetic materials may be efiected by the gravity process, by dropping the treated material past the face of magnets, which deflect the iro containing materials specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oct. 14, 1919.

1916. Serial No. 13%,583.

ing the non-ferruginous parts unaffected.

Any gangue present in the ore will remain unaffected elther by the roasting operation or by the magnetic separation, and must be removed from the pyrolusite or other mineral subsequent to this separation. The magnetic oxid, when com ressed into briguets, becomes a very va uable source of iron, slnce owmg to its purity, iron of great purlty can be produced therefrom.

The particular ore upon which Lhave performed this process is one consisting approximately of Fe O 80 to 88 per cent.; MnO 20 to 12 per cent. The specific gravities of the two minerals differ only by a few tenths of one per cent., which is too small to permlt of separation by ordinary processes.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this application, wherein I have illustrated one form of apparatus whereby my invention may be carried out, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal sectional view through the kiln and showing the magnetic separator in elevation, and Fig. 2 a cross sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Describing the parts by reference characters, 1 represents an elongated rotatable cylindrical kiln having the usual tires 2, 2 running upon the supporting wheels 3, 3, one of which is driven by gearing 4. Surrounding the mid-portion of the kiln is a housing 5 having at one end a furnace 6 and at the other end a flue or stack 7. The ends of the kiln project into shields or chambers 8, 9 respectively, both of which make fairly close joints with the kiln exterior. Carried by the shield 8 is the inlet hopper 10 to which the pulverized ore is delivered, and from which it is fed in a gradual uniform manner by suitable means such as the worm 11 driven by the shaft 12. The material delivered from the kiln into the shield 9 is also removed therefrom by suitable means such as the worm 13 driven by the shaft 14:. The

shafts 12 and 14 are preferably operatively connected as by a shaft 15 geared thereto so that the worms will be operated at the same speed. In addition to their convenience and The material delivered by the worm 13 flows through the conduit 20 a) a suitable spreading table 21 from which it falls in a fine sheet past the end of a suitable magnet- 22 which permits the non-ferruginous materials to fall freely into the bin 23, while the magnetic particles are deflected into the bin 24. v

' For the treatment of hematite ores, the roasting is efi'ected in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, 'but for sulfur containing ores it is necessary first to roast in air so as to drive OK the sulfur and oxidize the ore, after which the same process is performed as in the case of hematite.

I am aware that the heat can be provided, either by internal or external combustion and that in a large plant it may be desirable to pass the furnace gases through the kiln instead of around the same; although for smaller operations I have employed the arrangement shown with excellent results and prefer this mode, partly 'by reason of the greater purity ofthe product and the smaller waste of steam and the greater rapidity of the reaction which is blanketed to some extent by the reducing gases of the furnace when they are admitted inside the kiln.

While I have specifically described my invention in connection with the separation of hematite from pyrolusite, it will be understood that I do not confine myself to this particular use but propose the same'equally for ores of iron containing other minerals.

Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim is 1. The method of recovering pyrolusite from a mixed ore of hematite and pyrolusite.

which consists in first pulverizing the ore, second roasting the same in the presence of water vapor whereby the hematite is changed to magnetic oxid, and third removing said. magnetic oxid magnetically from the unchanged pyrolusite.

2. The process of recovering pyrolusite from a mixture of pyrolusite and hematite which consists in roasting the pulverized mixed substances to a low red heat in a current of water vapor and thereafter separating the resulting magnetic oxid magnetically from the unchanged pyrolusite.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JES CLAUDE ADELL.

Witnessesz' -KATE R. ADELL,

ETHEL B. ADELL. 

